Tom Aspinall has been waiting patiently in the wings for his shot at UFC gold.
The Manchester native has spent years lurking in the shadows of the heavyweight divisions’ elite, but his moment is now closer than ever.
In just four years, Aspinall has shot to the UFC’s summit, positioning himself as a force to be reckoned with, while securing a coveted spot as the interim heavyweight champion.
With UFC 309 on the horizon – where reigning champion Jon Jones will face MMA veteran Stipe Miocic at New York’s iconic Madison Square Garden – Aspinall’s sights are firmly set on the outcome of its main event bout.
For Aspinall, this heavyweight showdown should set the stage for the ultimate clash – a unification bout that could cement his status alongside Jones as one of the sport’s all-time greats.
Yet, this vision has been tarnished by Jones himself, who believes a bout with Apsinall would disrupt his own legacy in the UFC.
Jones told fans in November that he is in ‘a legends-only league’ and suggested to MMA journalist Kevin Iole that a fight with the 31-year-old Brit is unlikely, saying Aspinall ‘just hasn’t proved anything’.
But Aspinall’s record suggests otherwise.
Since making his UFC debut in July 2020, he’s proven himself in spectacular fashion by overcoming a serious injury in between knocking out opponents in record time.
He finished Jake Collier in 45 seconds on his debut for Dana White’s promotion, which kicked off a five-fight win streak that witnessed him dismantle some of the division’s most intimidating names.
Aspinall’s early UFC record includes dominant victories over the likes of Serghei ‘Polar Bear’ Spivac, who has only four losses in his 21 professional bouts, and Russia’s Alexander Volkov, a veteran nearing his 50th MMA fight.
Aspinall also holds the UFC record for the shortest fight time for competitors with a minimum of five bouts, typically finishing his opponents just after the two-minute mark.
With eight finishes since 2020 – second only to Kevin Holland – he also has racked up the highest number of knockdowns per 15 minutes inside the octagon, averaging over four.
Not only has Aspinall finished all but one of his opponents in the first round, but he has fought his way back from brutal setbacks.
Aspinall tore his medial collateral ligament (MCL) against Curtis Blaydes in July 2022, which ended his five-fight win streak and killed all the momentum behind him since making his UFC debut.
“A lot of people get injured in a gym with 10 people there,” he told CNN Sports in July.
“I got injured with 25,000 home fans screaming my name and millions watching around the world. It’s a big blow to the ego.”
It may have been a big blow to the 31-year-old, but Aspinall has been crafted to deal with these situations from a very young age.
Growing up in the town of Atheton in Greater Manchester, he was introduced to MMA by his father Andy.
His dad – a former fighter himself – used to work in IT, before transitioning into teaching Jiu-Jitsu full time.
Even on his mum’s side, Aspinall was surrounded by fighters and boxers, who he says, although weren’t always doing it professionally, were still always scraping away.
“I couldn’t imagine my life without combat sports. It has been in my life for as long as I could remember,” he said in 2022.
Aspinall had tried out all of the various martial arts by the time he was 11, including boxing, wrestling and Jiu-Jitsu.
Shortly after, he was then brought to Liverpool and introduced to Team Kaobon head coach Colin Heron.
Aspinall’s father struck a deal with Heron, who wanted to be introduced to Jiu-Jitsu, in exchange for one-to-one training sessions with his son.
“When he was 15, I sat down with him and asked: ‘What is it you want to do?’ and he said he wanted to be in the UFC,” Heron once said.
Aspinall was able to find a rhythm as part of Team Kaobon, while working alongside Heron and continuing to learn Jiu-Jitsu from Aspinall Sr.
It didn’t take long for him to rack up a streak of amateur MMA victories, where he was taking as many bouts as possible and beating undefeated, young fighters.
In 2015, Aspinall went through the hardest period of his career after turning professional and having children, as he was not able to source regular fights, which meant he struggled to provide for his family.
He was on the verge of quitting the sport after a few years fighting on and off with no real consistency in his MMA career.
After being talked out by his coach and father, Aspinall signed with Cage Warriors in 2018 to achieve his ultimate goal of joining the UFC, who he knew at the time were looking at him.
Aspinally only had two fights with Cage Warriors, as the Irish-owned MMA promotion struggled to find worthy opponents for the impeccable heavyweight.
He finished both of his Cage Warriors in the first round, a trend he would continue to set in the UFC when he joined them.
“It doesn’t matter if you’re in the UFC, or you’re on an amateur show, it’s the same thing – just fighting another guy who is trying to knock you out,” Aspinall added.
“This is my dream and I’m not letting anyone take it away from me.”
Aspinall then moved to the UFC where he has become one of the biggest stars since.
He fought for the interim title against Sergei Pavlovich at UFC 295 in November 2023, as Jones was out with an injury.
The Manchester man knocked out Russia’s Pavlovich in the first round, before defending his interim status against Blaydes at UFC Manchester eight months later.
British MMA legend Michael Bisping has recent called for Jon Jones to be stripped of his heavyweight belt if he avoids a fight with Aspinall after his bout with Miocic.
UFC 309 also has Michael Chandler facing off with Charles Oliveira in a five-round co-main event, while hot prospect Bo Nickal faces Scotland’s Paul Craig in the middleweight division.
Bisping added. “But if this was boxing Jon Jones would be stripped, that’s a fact, case in point and this happens all the time in boxing.
UK fans can watch the UFC 309 prelims from 1 am GT live on TNT Sports Box Office. The main event is set to begin at around 3 am.
